Eddie's Got to Go
by janedoe144
Summary: What if Grissom committed murder? Who would he kill? How would he pull it off? Here's my take on exactly that subject.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: These guys don't belong to me and I shamelessly ripped from the two episodes listed.  
  
Author's Note: I didn't load this right the first time. I hope I got it fixed.  
  
Summary: What if Grissom committed murder? Who would he kill? How would he pull it off? Here's my take on exactly that subject.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Pairing(s): Grissom and Catherine  
  
Spoiler(s): LHB and All for our Country  
  
Chapter One  
  
"This guy's a nut job vigilante. He's making the whole department look bad." Warrick said to Grissom as they observed through the one-way mirror.  
  
"I guess he just figured he'd take a short cut." Grissom answered. Then he added. "You've thought about it."  
  
"Yeah, lots of times. What about you?" Warrick asked, sipping his coffee.  
  
Grissom said nothing. He looked at Warrick. "Ah, but I've actually done it, my friend." Grissom thought. He didn't regret it either. One complete worthless pain-in-ass named Eddie Willows no longer interfered in the life of Gil Grissom. He was happier, Catherine was happier, and with a little more time, Lindsey would be happier. He would see to that. Her home life was more stable than it had ever been and the child no longer had to deal with the confusion brought on from overhearing all the arguments. No more Eddie around, no more arguments to be had. He vowed that this was the only secret he would keep from Catherine until his dying day.  
  
Grissom walked away without a comment. He headed out of the police station, pausing to gaze at the retreating back of Officer Fromansky. The whole confrontation with him left Grissom uneasy. Alienating the police force had probably not been the wisest course of action to take. He decided to do a little target practice since he might very well end up unprotected at a crime scene some time in the future. It was the first time he had fired a weapon since shooting Eddie. The first few shots were completely off the target, but then he calmed down, regained control of his trembling hands and nailed the rest of them.  
  
He left the shooting range and headed to his townhouse. He had a few things to do there and Catherine was working late on another case. He puttered around the townhouse for awhile then poured a snifter of brandy and sat down on the couch. He sipped the brandy, tossed his glasses on the coffee table, and massaged the bridge of his nose and the back of his neck.  
  
His thoughts returned to killing Eddie. Most of the time, he managed to pretend it never happened. He willed himself to believe the conclusions Sara came to in her investigation. A part of him still couldn't believe he had committed murder. 


	2. Chapter Two

It had come to a head one-day when Eddie followed him from Catherine's front door to his car and viciously shoved him. Grissom had had enough. He rubbed the spot on his chest where Eddie had made contact. "Eddie, if you ever touch Catherine again, I'll kill you. I'll get away with too, Ed. I know all the tricks and all the mistakes people make." Grissom's voice was soft and menacing.  
  
Eddie backed away, knowing he had pushed too far. He was suddenly afraid of Gil Grissom. He was right to be afraid. Grissom blamed him for a lot. He had years of pent-up anger and no release for it. Grissom got in his Tahoe and left. "Did I really say that?" He wondered. "Did I really mean it?"  
  
Later that week, Grissom was processing a car used in a drive-by shooting. He was working solo. He found a twenty-two pistol and ammunition in the spare tire compartment of the trunk. All the weapons used in the drive-by were 45's or 9mm. This gun had not been used in the shooting. The serial numbers were filed off of it. It was untraceable and nobody knew he had found it. The suspects were certainly not going to inquire after it. They had enough charges against them already and they were on their way to prison. He put it in the bottom of his field kit. Later that day, he hid it in his townhouse. He knew he should throw it away. He struggled with his conscience because he knew he took it to kill Eddie. It was just a matter of time before Eddie got rough with Catherine again and he intended to make good on his threat.  
  
It was nearly four months before Eddie screwed up. Catherine came to work with a black eye. She lied to Grissom about it. Grissom caught up with Eddie outside a bar. "I meant it, Eddie. You are going to be out of our life."  
  
"Come on, Gil. Take your best shot." Eddie drunkenly sneered back at him.  
  
"Oh, not here, not now. You aren't gonna know when it's coming. I am a patient man." Grissom calmly smiled and walked away.  
  
"Bullshit, you ain't got the balls to do anything to me!" Eddie called out after him.  
  
Grissom didn't sleep for three days. He got a migraine and his hearing went out on him repeatedly. One part of his mind raged at him that he couldn't do this. It was wrong and it went against everything he represented. Another part told him to "get rid of the bastard. He's worthless. He's an asshole. The world will be a better place without Eddie bumbling about in his seedy, pathetic excuse of a life. Catherine deserves a good love and Lindsey deserves a respectable father. Catherine is never gonna marry you. You'll never live the life you want to as long as Eddie is constantly causing problems." 


	3. Chapter Three

Catherine and Gil argued the night following the shoving incident. Of course, it was about Eddie. It was always about Eddie.  
  
"He said you threatened him." Catherine accused.  
  
"Yeah, well, I was angry. Look, I have a bruise on my chest. He's not gonna start beating me up too." Gil retorted. He glared at her, daring her to say something else. She dropped her eyes, folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him. They were both in pain. He hated to hurt her this way. She hated the whole situation.  
  
"Something has to change, Cath. We can't keep going on like this." Gil said softly. He left. She cried. She had a feeling something had just changed and that something was she was losing Gil Grissom.  
  
Grissom intended for things to change. He began to distance himself from Catherine. He mostly worked with Sara if he went in the field at all. It was part of his plan. Brass and Warrick would certainly put him on a suspect list. Even if they didn't want to, they were professionals. They both knew he and Catherine had more than a "work" relationship. He would have to be a suspect unless he took steps to make them think he and Cath were no longer involved. Even his hearing problems were going to be helpful. He planned for that to be his way back into Catherine's heart. It would be his excuse for having become distant with her. After a suitable time had passed, he would tell her he had to have surgery. She'd be there for him. Then, they were going to become the family he wanted. 


	4. Chapter Four

Two weeks after confronting Eddie outside the bar, Grissom contacted a sleazy private detective. One who would do almost anything for the right amount of cash and wouldn't ask too many questions. He called him from a pay phone to set up a meeting at a deserted warehouse parking lot. He even stole license plates from a Mercedes similar to his own in a mall parking lot that had no security cameras so the guy couldn't trace him.  
  
Moe Williams, a not too successful private detective, pulled his beat-up car into a deserted warehouse parking lot at 2 AM. He saw a black Mercedes parked in a dimly lit area. He pulled up to the car and rolled down his window. The window of the Mercedes whirred down.  
  
"Mr. Black?" He inquired. He studied his surroundings. This guy was smart. He had forced Williams to park such that a light was shining directly in his eyes. He could only see shadows in the Mercedes.  
  
"I need information. I think you can acquire it for me." The soft voice that issued from the interior of the Mercedes was slightly muffled.  
  
"He's making it hard for me to recognize his voice. He did that on the phone too." Moe realized. He figured this guy was dangerous, probably a professional. His survival instincts kicked in and told him to flee but he seldom got opportunities like this. Greed won out. There could be some top money involved in this exchange. He had no further interest in "Mr. Black's" true identity.  
  
"I'm your man. Tell me what you want to know, who you want to know it about and how quick you want to know it." Moe's reply was all business.  
  
A leather glove-clad hand delivered an 8x12 plain envelope to his window. Moe opened it. There was a sizeable wad of cash, a mug shot, and a printed page that detailed the information required as well as the home address of one Edward Willows. Moe knew the drill. "You can contact me again in two weeks. I'll have all the information you want by then." Moe started his car and pulled away. He never looked back at the Mercedes.  
  
He tailed Edward Willows the following day. After a few days, he had a pretty good idea of his habits and routine. He went to the club where Mr. Willows' latest musical prodigy and lover, Candeece, was performing. He eased up on a barstool next to Willows and struck up a conversation. He bought a couple of rounds and pretty soon he was on a first name basis with Eddie Willows. Eddie told him all about the gal with the pink hair currently bellowing out something that Moe supposed could be considered music. Eddie told his newfound drink buying friend a lot. Moe detailed all of the information he had gathered into a report, continued his surveillance of Eddie and waited for "Mr. Black" to call.  
  
The phone registered to Williams' detective agency rang at 9PM, exactly two weeks after the late night meeting. "Williams." Moe grunted, speaking around the cigarette dangling from his lips. He inhaled deeply, placed the cigarette in an ashtray then exhaled a plume of smoke toward the ceiling. As he expected, it was "Mr. Black".  
  
"Are you ready to meet?" The voice on the phone inquired.  
  
"Yep, report's all typed up. You wanta meet at the same time, same place?" Moe asked, relieving his caller of a lengthy conversation.  
  
"Yes." With that, the line went dead.  
  
At 2 AM, Moe pulled into the warehouse parking lot. As he pulled around the Mercedes, he noticed that the plates on the car were different. He thought. "Ah, you are one smart cookie, "Mr. Black". I doubt either set of those plates belongs to that car, not that I care. I don't think I would want to be in the shoes of one Eddie Willows right now." Willows had seemed small time, fairly innocuous but he must've stepped on some big toes.  
  
He rolled the window of his car down and handed the same envelope he had received back to "Mr. Black". He stared across the parking lot of the warehouse, being obvious not to look in the Mercedes while he waited to find out if the report was satisfactory.  
  
"Very good. Thank you, Mr. Williams." A second envelope was passed from the Mercedes to Moe's hand. Moe didn't look in it, nor did he look at the Mercedes again. He knew there would be another sizeable sum of cash in it. He started his car and left immediately. His business with "Mr. Black" was finished. He hoped to never hear from him again.  
  
Grissom disposed of the second set of stolen plates. This time he stopped at a small park on his circuitous route back to his townhouse. Once he was safely ensconced in his home, he removed the material from the envelope and began to study it. Moe Williams was thorough. He had even returned the mug shot of Eddie and the printed instructions. Grissom would have to burn all of this stuff once the deed was done. He supposed it was worth $50,000.  
  
The money was irrelevant to Grissom. He had won it playing poker while living in San Francisco a few years ago. The games were somewhat illicit so he had never deposited the money. He had kept it in a safe deposit box. He absently wondered if Moe Williams had noticed that all of the bills were nearly ten years old and what he made of that fact. Did he even care? That was doubtful, Moe Williams had been the right choice.  
  
Grissom stood up and stretched. He surveyed his quiet townhouse for a moment then headed to the kitchen. He poured himself a tumbler of scotch. He went to the window, opened the blind and gazed out at the darkness. The street was quiet. Most of the people living here were sleeping soundly. They had no inkling that one of their quiet, unassuming neighbors was plotting a murder. He realized he couldn't hear a thing. 


	5. Chapter Five

Grissom had put off killing Eddie. He wasn't sure he could actually go through with it. However, tonight was the last night he would be certain of Eddie's whereabouts. Candeece, his pink-haired girlfriend, had a recording session for a demo, starting at 10 PM. Williams had listed that Candeece was a "recovering" drug addict. Grissom had scouted out the recording studio; it had a convenient side door with easy access to an alley. He suspected that; at some point, Eddie would usher her outside for a little shot of something to help ease her nerves.  
  
The night before; he, Warrick and Sara had begun an investigation into the death of one Trey Buckman at The Sinner's Den. They spent hours collecting the evidence. Brass returned just after sunrise. Trey Buckman had a room at The Sphere. The sun was shining brightly by the time they made it there. Another scene to process, it was nearly noon when they finished. He sent Warrick and Sara back to the lab with the evidence then home to get some rest. He headed for the morgue. Doc Robbins would be wrapping up the autopsy by now. It was after 3 by the time he got home.  
  
He was keyed up and couldn't sleep; around 5, he began putting his plan in motion. He had no way of knowing that Eddie and Catherine were currently attending a school play in which Lindsey was portraying Sleeping Beauty. He had certainly succeeded in distancing himself from Catherine. He checked the weather on the Internet. Thunderstorms, it read. He put a rain suit in his Tahoe, got some plastic sheeting to put over the seat of his Mercedes. A wet leather seat would be a bad thing. He drove the Mercedes to a commuter parking lot a block away from the crime lab. He called a taxi from a payphone. He had it drop him at an apartment complex two blocks from his townhouse.  
  
He arrived at the crime lab at 6:40. He laid the evidence from The Sinner's Den out on a lab bench. Warrick arrived around 7:30. Within an hour, they had identified a ladies stiletto as the murder weapon.  
  
"I'll call Brass. He can round up a group of likely "Cinderella's" for us. Help Sara with the evidence from the hotel room, Warrick." Grissom instructed. He took the stiletto with him. Time might be short tonight. It would be best to have it with him.  
  
After calling Brass, Grissom went through the paperwork on his desk. Catherine poked her head in his office at 9:30. Nick was right behind her. "You two have a decomposing dead body at an apartment complex." He handed the slip to Catherine. She and Nick left for the crime scene immediately.  
  
He made certain that Warrick and Sara were busy, then slipped into the one lab that had direct outside access, albeit the roof. He donned the rain suit and climbed the ladder to the roof of the CSI building. He got to his Mercedes by 9:50. He was glad he put plastic sheeting over the leather seat because it was raining hard by the time he arrived. He drove to the alley outside the recording studio. It took him twenty minutes. He retrieved the twenty-two from the glove box. He made sure it was fully loaded. He made his way into the shadows at the side of the building and prepared to wait. He didn't wait long.  
  
Five minutes later, a woman with pink hair came out the side door of the studio. "Must be Candeece." Grissom mused. A man pulled up on a Harley. "What kind of idiot would ride a motorcycle in this mess?" Grissom questioned. Harley guy spoke with Candeece briefly then headed back to the bike. Just then, Eddie pulled up. He and Candeece began to argue. Harley guy returned and joined the argument. Grissom stepped from the side of the building and fired the twenty-two. He stepped back into the shadows. He was maybe ten feet from them but in the downpour he doubted they noticed him. Eddie grabbed at his chest and stomach. Harley guy hopped on his bike and beat it out of there. Candeece rushed Eddie toward his car. Grissom waited until they sped away, then got in the Mercedes and drove to his townhouse. He parked the car in his garage, hid the gun, grabbed the plastic sheeting out the car and shoved it in the trash. He had minutes to make the bus stop half a block away.  
  
He wasn't sure the shot would actually kill Eddie. It had been hard to see in the pouring rain. "Damn, I should've fired more than once!" He thought. He hadn't emptied the gun as he had been trained to do because that was a sure sign of someone in law enforcement. It appeared Eddie was, at least, gut shot. However, he had been aiming for his heart. He knew he had missed his target.  
  
His cell rang just as he neared the lab. He answered immediately. It was Brass who glibly informed him. "Your ladies await, Prince Charming." It was almost 11:30.  
  
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." Grissom answered. He went directly to his Tahoe, stripped off the rain suit and stuffed it in the back. He headed off to play "Prince Charming" and wait for a call to send a CSI to investigate the shooting of Eddie Willows. He already planned to send Sara. She would be the least likely to suspect him, mainly because she seemed completely besotted by him. Why, he couldn't imagine, although, he had done his best to "fan the flames" of her infatuation recently. Too be brutally honest, he didn't care. She was one more card to use to stack the deck in order for him to get away with murder. He was playing to win.  
  
The call for a CSI came quickly. He had just arrived, spoken with Brass and informed his "Cinderella's" of the "stiletto" test. He had to excuse himself for a moment. He went to the bathroom and vomited until all he could do was dry heave. "Lindsey was in the car with Eddie." It kept going through his mind. High-strung Candeece had run the car off the road into a storm drain then fled the scene leaving Lindsey trapped in the sinking car. Lindsey had come close to drowning. She had had the presence of mind to find Eddie's cell phone and call Catherine. "Oh, sweet Jesus. I nearly killed Lindsey." Grissom placed his forehead against the cool metal of the stall. He felt he was losing his mind, certainly his balance.  
  
He shakily returned to begin the business of matching shoe to foot. When they found the matching foot, Brass took her in for questioning. Grissom was fairly certain Brass had yet to hear about Eddie. Vega had the case and was still in the field. He was desperate to call Catherine. To hear her voice, see her and Lindsey and know they were all right. He knew he couldn't risk it.  
  
Lady Luck favored Grissom that night. He went to the police station to obtain a DNA sample from "the lady of the stiletto" as he had dubbed her. She and Brass were alone. Grissom watched her sit on the table, turn her body toward Brass, lift her leg to place it on the side of his chair and give him a peak of the fact that she wore no panties. Grissom rapped on the glass pane of the door.  
  
"Excuse me, Jim, am I interrupting something?" Grissom inquired. He smiled. Brass would be off-kilter for the rest of the night.  
  
"Gil, please." Brass huskily replied.  
  
"Miss, I'm gonna need a sample of your DNA." Grissom informed the lovely blond seated on the table.  
  
"How do you want it?" She asked.  
  
"I like your hair." He responded, flirting just a little.  
  
"I like yours." She replied, continuing their flirtation.  
  
"Are you a, ah, a natural blonde?" Grissom inquired. She looked pointedly at Brass. Grissom also looked at Brass and arched his brows in question. Brass shook his head slightly in a negative gesture. Grissom deftly plucked some strands of her hair with his tweezers.  
  
"Ow!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Sorry! I needed a follicular tag." Grissom interjected, somewhat contritely. He placed the hairs in a sample envelope. "Thank you." He headed for the door.  
  
"Gil?" He paused. "Any chance you found my thong?" The blonde asked. He gave her a questioning look. "Silver lame, probably twisted in knots?" She added.  
  
"Oh, yeah. We did. You'll need to fill out a form. The Captain will help you. Surely." Grissom replied and exited the room.  
  
When he returned to the lab, he checked in with Warrick, then Nick. Bury yourself in work and don't think about it had been his mantra for the night. Nick showed him the information from, decomposing dead guy, Croix Richard's laptop. It appeared they were working the same case and it led to Lady Heather's Dominion. As far as Grissom was concerned, this was a fantastic development. Brass was quite taken by Lady Heather. One more thing to distract the Captain from giving the death of Eddie Willows' any thought. 


	6. Chapter Six

Gil had just fumbled his way through some sort of conversation with Catherine. "We're okay." Was the only part he was certain he heard. She was too upset to notice how he stumbled through the conversation. He watched her closely as she entered the lab where Warrick and Nick were working. She braved through their condolences then briskly got back to business. They identified Rebecca McCormick from the hits on Lady Heather's web site.  
  
"You up for a visit with the McCormick's?" Catherine asked him.  
  
"Certainly. Are you really sure you are?" Grissom inquired.  
  
"Yeah, gotta keep movin'. Stay occupied. I'll drive." Catherine answered.  
  
After their interview with the McCormick's, Grissom headed home. He wanted to stay by Catherine's side, be supportive but he needed to get rid of the evidence. He took the gun and the envelope containing the information Moe Williams had provided him with to Lake Mead. He threw the gun in one of the deepest areas of the lake. He found a deserted picnic area and burned the documents in a charcoal grill.  
  
Fatigue settled in on the trip home. No sleep and too much emotional chaos in the past 48 hours, he had to crash. When he arrived at his townhouse, he checked again, just to be certain he hadn't left any incriminating evidence anywhere. Minutes later he was sprawled across his bed. He hadn't even bothered to undress, just collapsed on top of the covers and kicked his shoes off. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Grissom looked up to see Sara Sidle standing in the doorway of his office. She didn't look happy. In fact, she looked downright miserable.  
  
"What can I do for you Sara?" Grissom inquired. He sat back in his chair and removed his glasses.  
  
"Cath just found out I closed the case on Eddie. I don't think she was too happy with the results. Gris, I had two liars and no murder weapon. What was I supposed to do?" Sara whined. She plopped into the chair across from his desk.  
  
"You did the best you could with the evidence you had. We don't win them all. Cath is just upset. You would be too. She nearly lost Lindsey. I'm sure she doesn't blame you personally." Grissom replied.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. I think she does blame me. I'm surprised she didn't ask for someone else to take over the case." Sara responded.  
  
"Well, see, she didn't. I think you're right about that. If she thought you weren't doing all there was to be done, she probably would have made that very request. She would probably treat Nick, Warrick or any other CSI the same if they had been assigned the case. She's upset." Grissom soothed.  
  
"I doubt she'd treat you this way." Sara retorted. "I'm going home."  
  
Grissom watched her leave, absently rubbed the earpiece of his glasses along his cheek and thought to himself. "If she knew the truth, Catherine would probably rip my balls off and shove them down my throat for endangering Lindsey."  
  
He considered Candeece and Harley guy for a moment. They had each lied and accused the other of shooting Eddie. Well, he was fortunate Eddie kept company with idiots who looked for the easy out when they got into a jamb. If they had both denied it and not accused each other, the case would still be open. Sara and Vega would have possibly been delving deeper into Eddie's life looking for someone with a motive to kill him. Their search might have led them right here. 


End file.
